PAINTING MEMORIES

Village in Provence

Last October, my husband and I were lucky enough to enjoy a much needed vacation and chose to go on a bike tour to France.  We bicycled in Provence and our travels took us through numerous small villages.  The painting above is one of those villages. I was charmed by the beautiful colors of the buildings and the blooming plants in the doorways and hanging from the windows.

ENJOY

A New Direction

Leafy Prayer

I think that I shall never see

A poem as lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day

And lifts its leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

 A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me

But only God can make a tree.

-Joyce Kilmer

American writer and poet

This painting was executed for a show at the gallery in Columbus, OH where I have my work.  The show is in honor of Poetry month which is in April.  All of the artists in the gallery were asked to pair with either a contemporary poet or a favorite historical poet and create a piece of art to reflect a poem.  I chose the poem above, which has been a favorite of mine for many years.

The background of the painting is gold leaf, both 18 and 23k, which was applied to the surface before I painted the tree and surrounding landscape. After the gold was applied, the surface was sealed and glazes in pale blue were added to the background to create the sky.

I had great fun working on this painting and it sold the weekend it was hung.

WHITE HOUSE?

Amish Bakery Study

I have been studying with a great instructor who is helping me to loosen up my painting style and also paint quicker.  The last few classes I have taken have been difficult, trying to get something down on my canvas in the allotted class time and having it look like a finished piece. Alla Prima (Italian), or the first attempt, is what we have been striving for in these classes.

Here is my attempt (Alla Prima) at an Amish Bakery.  I took this photo reference a couple of years ago when painting at this spot with the plein air group I belong to. It was a white house with a bakery built on to the front.  While doing this study, I realized that the house, though seemingly white in the photo, was really not at all white, but bluish lavender.  The only spots of white were those where the sun just highlighted a few areas. The best memory I have of this spot is visiting the bakery just before we left and getting a sweet treat for the drive back home.

ENJOY!!

Study study study!!

 Tree Study

Tree Study Gold Leaf #1

I am very fond of trees.  Throughout my life I have had favorite trees in every place that I have lived. They became my friend when lonely, served as a hideout for sneaking away to read a book, sheltered me during storms, served as a great treehouse, given me a great collection of colorful autumn leaves, served as a soft bed beneath my tent, and stood majestically defiant while being a protected species.

I believe I could not live in a world without them.

I have painted many tress, but never really made them a subject of a painting.

These studies are a homage to the tree.  The first is a simple study done on a toned background. It is inspired by a photo of a tree that I admired at Glacier Ridge Metropark last summer near the boardwalk.  I decided to try two studies, one using the toned background, and one using gold leaf as the background.   I have admired the work of Gustav Klimt for many years and his use of gold leaf in his paintings.  I like the subtle sheen in the background.  And because I love them so much, I think these trees deserve to be dressed up with a little bling.

ENJOY!!

TIME IS FLEETING

A FLEETING MOMENT

I just finished this painting this morning.  It has been a while since I have spent any amount of time at my easel.  My 12 year old Labrador Retriever, Logan, required surgery last week for a knee problem, and I have been in "care" mode since then.  The inspiration for the title of this painting is a reminder that life is fleeting and we are never assured a life that is constantly under our control. It also is a reminder that we need to live life to its fullest, and this is something that I have seen played out daily with my dog.  Even though he cannot do much in terms of walking or running, he has accepted it and has adjusted his attitude to fit the situation.  So this painting is dedicated to Logan, my loyal companion of 12 years.                     ENJOY!!!

SIMPLE SHELTER

WORK TRUCK

I spotted this old work truck while scouting out places to paint during the OPAS painting competition last fall in Alexandria, OH.  The truck looked like it had seen better days and it's parking shed wasn't much better, but I love old ramshackle things so I stored the photo as a possible painting. This painting brings back memories of farm trucks and the years I spent growing up on the family farm.

This one is done on gesso board that's toned in a dark mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue.

After toning it, I wiped it down and some of the stain remained as my background. I especially like the red of the truck and the little pops of color in the downspouts and brick building in the background.

ENJOY!!

Dedication

WORKING LATE

This painting is another attempt at doing a night scene.  I usually walk my dog, Logan, in the evening before I break for dinner.  One of our favorite "walkie" spots is across the street at the elementary school.  There is a large playing field in back that works great for smell and potty purposes. Because it is winter, it usually starts getting dusky around 5pm and if I go much later, it's totally dark, so this scene is during that time of transition to darkness.  

There is a teacher at the school who is always the last in the parking lot and she drives this cute little red VW.  I've painted her car before and love that she gives me opportunities to practice various angles of her car. The painting pictured below is the first painting  I did of her bug. 

ENJOY!!

DON'T SQUASH